AFTER several months of suffering from headaches, sickness, backache and neck ache, Darcy Reed followed her mother’s suggestion and paid a visit to her local Specsavers in Kilburn for a sight test on Thursday 8 June.
Darcy explained that she had been feeling unwell since March. It was following one particularly traumatic experience in April, when she had been throwing up and suffering from a severe headache that Darcy called NHS 111. Following an online triage with the paramedic, Darcy was blue-lighted to St Mary’s Paddington with suspected meningitis. Following tests she was diagnosed with a viral infection and advised to rest and drink fluids.

However, the symptoms and pain did not go away, so Darcy visited her GP, several A&E Units and Urgent Treatment Centres in the West London area where she lives. Each time, following assessments by the duty doctors and various tests, including blood tests and a CT brain scan, she had been sent home, prescribed antibiotics and advised to rest, take pain killers and drink lots of fluid, with the diagnosis that she was suffering from a viral infection. At this point, some three months on from initially feeling unwell, Darcy felt upset that the ongoing pain didn’t appear to be going.

During all of this time, Darcy, aged 27 was holding down a job as a pick and pack worker for a skincare range. Her profession as a hospitality photographer for The Shard in London had been curtailed during the Covid-19 pandemic, as this sector had been very badly impacted as a result of the various lockdowns and restrictions.
When Darcy visited Specsavers Kilburn she met with ophthalmic director, Parus Pindoria who listened to her concerns about the long-term headaches that didn’t appear to have any satisfactory explanation.
Parus carried out various tests, including an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) 3D scan, which is advanced diagnostic, eye scanning equipment that helps detect several serious eye conditions, including glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy and can detect eye conditions up to four years ahead of them presenting via a standard eye test.
The tests revealed a swelling of the optic disc, known as papilledema. Parus explained what this meant, reassured Darcy and provided her with a referral letter advising that she seek an emergency assessment at the Western Eye Hospital in Marylebone due to the risk of leaving it untreated.
During her consultation with the ophthalmologist, Darcy was referred on to St Mary’s Hospital Neurology Department, where more tests were conducted, including a CT brain scan with an IV contrast. The scan showed that there were signs of raised pressure, so a lumbar puncture was planned for the following week to get a diagnosis and to help relieve the pressure.

Following the lumbar puncture Darcy was diagnosed with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH). This is caused by a build-up of fluid around the brain, causing high pressure which can cause headaches and changes in vision.
Darcy continued: ‘I have complete trust in Parus, he has been amazing. My mother has also met him and personally thanked him for his care and support. He called me after every hospital appointment to find out how I was getting on and what the prognosis was. Apparently this condition is quite common and is often left undiagnosed. If I hadn’t visited Specsavers Kilburn and seen Parus, then I might not have been so fortunate.

Darcy said: ‘The consultant at St Mary’s told me that if I had left it much longer and not visited the optician when I did, I could have lost my sight. I am extremely grateful to Parus who took my symptoms seriously and to my mother who suggested visiting an optician.
‘St Mary’s are monitoring me, so I have to go back in a few months for a check-up. I now have a new glasses prescription which is helping with my distance vision.
‘Finally, I’m now on the right path, thanks to Specsavers, who I have nicknamed, ‘Specsavers are life savers.’
Parus Pindoria commented: ‘I am really pleased that Darcy is on the road to recovery. When I met with her in June, she was very distressed and in a lot of pain and frustration that there was no indication as to why she was having headaches.
‘I think this highlights how valuable a sight test can be in identifying underlying health issues, as well as taking the time to listen to the concerns the customer has. Having regular sight tests with the OCT scan helps us to monitor any potential changes in the eye. We wish Darcy well and I’m glad to have helped; I will see her in six months for a follow-up.’
You can discuss any eye or hear care queries with the team at Specsavers Kilburn on 020 7328 5655 or you can book an appointment online: www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/kilburn